


Proof of Her Love

by risingfire17



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Communication Failure, Declarations Of Love, Dysfunctional Relationships, F/M, Love Confessions, Main Character is with Mint Eye (Mystic Messenger), Minor Violence, Mint Eye, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Possibly Unrequited Love, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:20:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25374556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/risingfire17/pseuds/risingfire17
Summary: When she told him how she felt, she'd be fine if he rejected her. But this was worse. He thought she was trying to trick him, and came to hate her. She's formed a desperate plan to prove it's not a lie, and she'll only get one chance at this....
Relationships: Choi Saeran/Main Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 74
Collections: The Life and Times of a Mint Eye Assistant





	Proof of Her Love

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Threats of physical violence, may be triggering for those with a history of domestic violence

“Don’t you ever say such a filthy lie ever again.”

She recoiled as if she had been slapped. Of all the possible reactions she could think of to what she had just said, even accounting for his tendency to take certain things poorly, she hadn’t imagined something like that. Or the disgusted tone in which he spit those words at her.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Did I fucking stutter?! Don’t. EVER! Say such a filthy lie. Ever. Again.”

“Boss, it’s not a lie. I really do-”

“What did I JUST say?!” He stormed into her space, towering over her threateningly. She flinched involuntarily but neither stepped back nor took her eyes off his.

“Why would you think that’s a lie?”

He opened his mouth, looking ready to scream again, then closed it, taking a moment to leer at her before he continued. He straightened his back, his expression changing from one of passionate fury to one more composed, icy rage. He yanked her to him by her shirt and answered her in a low, menacing voice: “Because no one would ever love a monster like me.” He released his grip, shoving her back in the process, and stormed to his computer.

“ _I_ do. And you’re not a monster.” Her voice came out more meekly than she had anticipated. Partially because she was, for the first time since she’d first come to Mint Eye, afraid he might react violently. And partially because the knowledge that he truly believed himself to be an unlovable monster broke her heart.

He slammed his hands down on the desk, and she flinched. After a moment, he rose and stalked back over to her. She forced herself to hold her ground. “And _how_ do you plan to prove that?” She searched the face that glared back at her. His eyes were hardened with anger as they demanded an answer. His lips curled back, slightly exposing his teeth like a frightened animal baring its fangs. She sadly realized that there was nothing he would listen to in this state. 

“I…don’t think there’s anything I can say to make you believe me right now.”

“Tch.” He gritted his teeth and balled his fists. At first glance, his expression appeared to grow more sinister. But underneath that, it looked like it grew more hurt. Like the tiny part of him that wanted to hope he could be loved had been strangled by the mistrust that consumed him.

“But I promise you, I _will_ find a way to make you believe me.” His only response was to punch the wall behind her before he turned away and stormed out the door, leaving her to cry alone.

She had expected him to reject her feelings. What had happened was far worse. He was so lost in his self-hatred that he refused to believe in her love. Forget accepting or rejecting her feelings, he could do neither if he refused to let them reach him in the first place!

She thought of that bitter, hopeless note in his voice when he told her no one could love him, and she knew she could not move on from this. She simply must find a way to make her heart reach him, as much for his sake as for her own.

* * *

She had been preparing this plan for months. It was the final solution, and one that might just make him hate her forever, or even worse. But she had tried every other method she could think of to prove her feelings for him, each attempt upsetting him more. Ever since that day, he had seen her every action as an attempt to trick him and hurt him. She regretted ever telling him how she felt, seeing the torment it caused him. But she couldn’t take it back, and her last desperate hope to get back his peace was to make him realize that it wasn’t a trick. All she had left was this desperate measure.

When he left to take a shower, she opened her sketchbook to the letter she had written him and put it in front of his computer, the first place he would go to after emerging. She took a deep breath. There was no turning back now.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he made for his computer and started when he saw the letter draped across his keyboard. He sat down and began to read it, shaking more and more with each sentence.

_I promised you I would find a way to make you believe that my feelings for you are not a lie. But no matter how hard I try, my feelings can’t reach you, and every attempt to prove myself just hurts us both more and more. I can’t keep going like this. Before, you may have been grumpy, but I know you felt comfortable with me around. Now you either pretend I don’t exist, or you pick apart everything I say and do, waiting for me to mess up and prove to you that everything I said was a lie. It hurts, Boss. It hurts knowing by now you probably hate me. But you know what hurts the most? Knowing that all the good feelings I had for you are only causing you pain. I hate seeing you like this. I hate knowing that it’s my fault. I can’t take it anymore._

_On the following pages you will find five different plans for me to escape this place. I already know enough about your habits to escape your watch. I’ve spent these months learning the identities and habits of the guards, the layout of the building, the blind spots of the security cameras. You mentioned once that you were proud of how good I’d become at hacking. Well, I think your exact words were that I wasn’t “a complete waste of training anymore.” (I know you were proud, and that was one of my happiest moments here.) I studied hard so that I could watch this entire place from my computer without leaving a trace. Although after admitting this to you, I’m sure you will never allow such an opportunity to exist again._

_I have also figured out where this place is and how to get to the nearest town before you can capture me. I’ve found vacation cabins in the vicinity, including ones that have IP addresses in the location. I have already written out the codes to hack into any one of them and use it to call for help. Of course, I have also included plans to cloak the device I use and create false traces for you to find while help arrives for me. But before you got too wrapped up searching for me, you would have to worry about escaping yourself, because I’ve figured out how to reveal this location to every police force in the country. Read the enclosed plans for more details and decide for yourself how well each of them would work._

_You’ll of course notice that I’ve been sitting here, watching you, this entire time. Yes, I went to all the trouble over these long months to form these escape plans, only to lay them before you in every detail while I watch you read them. I know that after this, you will never again afford me the opportunity to form more plans for escape. And that’s if you even allow me to stay with you. I realize that after this, you might lock me up in the basement or worse. But still, I needed to risk everything, for this one shot to finally prove to you that I’m not lying about my feelings._

_I got this idea when you told me I was only saying what I thought you wanted to hear so you wouldn’t throw me away. (And that I’d certainly guessed wrong.) You see, when you said that, I realized that you would never believe I could have feelings for you as long as I depend on you. And in this place, where I have no status and can’t even leave this room unattended, I’m dependent on you for everything. Watching how you interact with others in this place, it’s become clear that a person’s value depends on their utility, and every kindness has an ulterior motive. Of course you would think I was the same, trying to appease you to get what I need from you. I realized that the only way I stood a chance at making you believe me was to approach you as someone who needs nothing from you. That’s why I made sure I had foolproof escape plans to guarantee I’d be free of this place and never again dependent on you._

_And that is why I’m still here now. Because even having all the tools to leave this place, I can’t stand the thought of leaving. Even knowing I’ll be free and safe outside; I can’t stand the thought of leaving you behind. I can’t stand the thought of never seeing you again. Because I love you. I really, truly love you. I’m so sorry that my feelings have hurt you the way they did. Please, please understand that these feelings are real, and not an attempt to hurt or trick you. After that, if you tell me you don’t feel the same way, I’ll understand. I’ll go back to the assistant I always was, if you’ll allow that. I just want you to heal from this._

She sat perfectly still as he read the letter; legs hoisted in front of her on the chair with her arms wrapped around them. She spoke not a word and barely breathed as he looked over her many pages of codes, diagrams, and maps. He searched the papers intently. His fingers were white where he tightly gripped the sketchbook, and on occasion his face contorted and she flinched, but he didn’t even glance her way.

When he finally finished, he threw her sketchbook across the room. He clenched his fists and stared straight in front of him with an unreadable expression. Tears came to her eyes as she began to suspect her plan had failed; he despised her, and his hatred would be the last she saw of him before she was thrown away. Still she watched him. If this was her last time seeing him, she wouldn’t tear her eyes away.

He looked down, allowing his hair to fall into his eyes, hiding his expression even more. In a low, shaky voice, he muttered. “Those escape plans of yours…all had at least a 98% chance of success. And I didn’t even know you were planning it.” She breathed in sharply. Would she come to regret throwing away those plans? As she watched him shake, she doubted she would. He might listen now! She said a silent prayer. _Please let my heart reach him…._

He stood up and made his way over until he was standing in front of her chair. As he towered over her, she finally saw his eyes, and they looked broken. Her plan had failed. He was hurt, so, so hurt. She let the tears fall from her eyes, enough tears for both of their pain.

“You’re never going to get that chance again. He yanked her up by her wrist, and she knew her fate was sealed. He was taking her to the basement. She should be afraid for herself, but she was lost instead in thoughts of her failure and how she’d broken the man she loved and wondering if there would ever be anyone to pick up the pieces after she was gone.

But when he tugged at her wrist again, it wasn’t to drag her out of the room. Instead, he pulled her forward until she crashed into him. “Because you’re staying by my side forever.” She stopped crying and looked up at him, daring to hope. His mouth twitched as his eyes registered a poorly masked fear. That’s it. She had asked him to believe something fundamentally impossible in his worldview, and it looked like he might just give the notion a chance, sacrificing the truth he knew to accommodate it. Of _course_ he’d be afraid! But he was listening! This time, her feelings were finally reaching him! She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, shaking with relief.

“Listen here! This doesn’t mean I love you or anything!” His shout came out as a shrill screech rather than anything intimidating. He gave up on screaming and lowered his voice, until it was almost soft. “I, I just, don’t plan on losing you. You’re mine. That’s all.”

She looked up at him with a relieved smile. _Yes. I am yours. Forever. And I’ll make sure you believe it more and more._


End file.
